Car-replacing frog.



No. 790.327. L PATENTE'D MAY 2 s, 1905.

' 0. L. SULLIVAN.

GAR REPLACING FROG.

APPLICATION FILED-DEG. 19, 1903.

Qfiarzss L. Jazz-ML UNITED STATES Patented May 23, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF

TION OF MISSOURI.

ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORA- CAR-REPLACING FROG- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 790,327, dated May 23, 1905.

Application filed December 19, 1903. Serial No. 185,808.

To all whom it mag concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES LoUIs SUL- LIVAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Replacing Frogs, of which the following is a specification.

Myinvention relates to wrecking devices for use on railways forthe purpose of replacing the wheels of cars or locomotives upon the track in case of derailment, and particularly to the construction of what are commonly called frogs, being wedges for the purpose of running up the wheel to elevate it and then throwing it upon the track. The objects of my invention are, to provide a cooperative pair of such frogs capable of being reversed in position so as to throw the car wheel either direction; to'provide a frog having an inclined surface to engage a wheel which happens to fall between two of the ties, while the frog rests upon the ties; to provide a frog having a plurality of inclined surfaces to engage the flange or the tread of a Wheel; to provide such a device with superior facilities for throwing the wheel upon the track after it has been elevated; to design a frog for use upon railways in which there are carriers or special seating blocks for the rails, and to generally improve the efficiency and operation of wrecking frogs. These objects, together with other advantages which will hereinafter appear, I attain by means of the construction illustrated in preferred form in the accompanying drawing, whereinf Figure 1 is a partial view of the track arranged on the ties as is customary in Europeanpractice, for illustration, and a pair of my cooperating replacing frogs thereon, shown in plan;

Figure 2 is a vertical section of the track and an end elevation of the frogs;

Figures 3 and 4 are respectively a side elevation, and a central longitudinal section of the inside frog; and

Figures 5 and 6 are respectively, a side elevationand a central longitudinal section of the outside frog.

The two frogs as shown in the drawings for illustration are built for especial application to that form of railway building in which the rails are seated upon carriages or metallic seating beds placed upon the ties, and the ties are spaced to considerably further distance apart than is customary in American practice; but it. will be understood that all the essential features of the two complementary devices are the same when adapted to either style of railway ties and either fashion of mounting of the rails thereon. The outside frog 7, that is the one intended principally to engage the tread of the outside wheel, is shown as provided with two inclined or wedged-shaped surfaces, 8 and 9, so-as to accommodate-any possible position of the derailed wheelwithrespect to the position of the ties. As will be apparent from the left hand part of Figure 1 and from Figures 5 and 6,this frog has a long inclined center and upon each side thereof is an incline 9 which begins at an intermediate point. On top of the body 7 the frog is provided with a rounded bulge 10 which is preferably made in an egg shaped form for the purposes hereinafter described, and the main surface of the wedge is provided with laterally projecting flanges 11 which overhang the base so that they approach close to the rail although the supporting webs 12 of the frog rest upon the ties. In order that the frog may approach close to the rail in cases where the rail 13 is supported upon metallic seats 14, it will be seen that I have provided the casting with a cut-out portion 24 so that while the supporting webs rest upon the ties the overhanging side flanges 11 will be close-to the rail. In case the Wheel happens to be behind the neXt succeeding tie 15 it will be seen that the tread of the wheel will engage the incline 8, and when it is between the two ties it may engage the incline 9, and in either case when it approaches the top of the frog it will be thrown over by the egg-shaped bulge 10 I on to the rail at either one side or the other as may be desired.

The inside frog 16, shown more particularly in Figures 3 and 4 and in plan at the left of Figure 1, is intended mainly to engage the flange of the car or locomotive wheel and it will be seen that it also is provided with a long inclined surface 17 and a shorter inclined surface 19. The incline 17 has a rounded cut-out end to guide the flange centrally on entering and is provided with guide flanges 18 which are of about the same height as the movable switch tongue 20 pivoted at the point 21 on top of the body 16, and working between flanges 18. It will be seen from Figure 3 that in this form also the supporting webs 12 of the casting are cut away at 24 in order to make room for the rail chair 14 upon the tie. The frog is also provided with laterally projecting wing flanges 23 and the head of the frog has a cutout depressed portion 22 in order that the flange may easily be shunted over against the rail when the tread has been raised high enough to engage the same. For added strength and security I referably form the switch tongue 20 with t e rounded head 25 which engages a recess in the to of the frog and is held in place by means 0 the bolt 21, as will be seen from Figure 4.

It will be clear from above description that each one of the frogs constitutes essentially a pair of superposed wedges having inclined surfaces rising vertically. It is to be noted that the inside frog 16 is provided at the beginning of the incline 17 with a cut-out portion to gather or guide the flange of the wheel properly upon the wedge surface. Both of the frogs are reversible so that they may be changed to one side of the track or other as needed, or may be changed to point the inclines in either direction. I regard the particular form of the bulge 10 on the frog 7 as of importance in the design shown as they act not only to throw the wheel upon the track when it is raised sufliciently but also to force the flange gradually from the inclined surface 8 over toward the rail as it approaches the same vertically. The outwardly rejecting wing flanges 11 and 23 respective y are also of importance as they aid in supporting the flange safely and throwing the wheel upon the rail at the proper time. It will be observed that both the frogs are made of sufficient length to reach across the space between two of the ties as they are widely spaced in European practice, and that the frogs are preferably made of integral castings having several webs and are provided at the bottom with teeth to prevent the same from sliding on the ties. In the practice where the fish-plate that holds the rail is close to the same and the frog may therefore be placed close to the rail, it will be understood that the supporting webs 12 of the frog may be extended further out toward the side and the necessity for the augmented length of the frog will be unnecessary since the ties are closer together in such cases. The various advantages of the devices will readily occur to those familiar with the art.

Having thus described my invention and illustrated its use, whatI claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is the following:

1. A car replacing frog having two independent inclined surfaces to elevate the wheel and means for throwing the wheel from either side of the frog.

2. A replacing frog comprising an integral casting having two successive inclined surfaces, one overlapping the other.

3. A replacing frog having two superimposed inclined surfaces and a rounded bulge on the top of the same.

4. A car replacing frog comprising a wedge and a partially super-imposed wedge of different angle, the surfaces merging together, substantially as described.

5. A car replacing frog comprising a wedge and a partially super-imposed incline of (lifferent length, one inclined surface extending on each side of the other.

6. A car replacer comprising a wide wedge and a narrow wedge of different inclination partially super-imposed thereon, the two inclines merging at the top and having means thereon to throw the wheel off.

7. A car replacing frog comprising a wed go with an egg-shaped bulge on its top.

8. A car replacing frog comprising a wedge having an egg-shaped bulge on its top and an outside supporting flange for the wheel when laterally displaced by the bulge.

9. In a car replacer the combination with a wedge, of a rounded projection on the upper surface of the wedge, and laterally overhanging flanges on the surface of said wedge, substantially as described.

10. In a car replacing frog a flat inclined wed e portion provided with a bulge for forcing the wheel either to one side or the other, and being provided on both sides with laterally projecting flanges for throwing the wheel upon the rail.

11. In a replacing frog the combination with a wedge of a switch tongue on the upper surface of said wedge, side rails on the surface of the wedge on the two sides of the tongue, the inclined wedge surface extending beyond the end of the switch tongue, substantially as described.

12. A replacing frog comprising an integral casting having a series of vertical webs In testimony whereof I have hereunder signed my name in the presence of the two 10 subscribed witnesses.

CHARLES LOUIS SULLIVAN.

Witnesses:

PAUL CARPENTER, EDWARD O. BURNS. 

